Another free pattern? Really? Well, yes. Aeons ago, I designed and knitted this large piece of craziness:- I wanted to play with the idea of the mandala, subvert the medium a wee bit, so I knitted a picture of a mandala. The idea of writing up this monster as a pattern was then filed away in Volume XII of the Great To-Do List in the bottom left corner of my brain**, between ‘learn to speak Finnish’ and ‘organize my sock drawer’. But then a nudging comment on a recent post prompted me to Continue Reading
Knitted Mandala Picture… Finished!
(YES, THE SIGNED ARNE AND CARLOS GIVEAWAY IS COMING, NEXT POST!) Right now, my grin would make even the Cheshire cat look surly. I've finished the ****ing, ********ing, ******************************ing knitted mandala picture! Wa-hey! You know what? I gave up on the gold embroidery, because although it was lovely and glittery close-up, it just looked messy when viewed from across the room. So I unpicked it. But that meant that I'd, er, finished the mandala. At last. It's come a long Continue Reading
Watchin’ The Swatchin’
Yay! The swatch-of-randomness for the knitted mandala picture survived its experimental wash-and-block! (Bet you've been on the edge of your seats about that one. ;-) ) So. It IS possible to wash-and-block a mixture of rich, inky Fyberspates green, with an innocent little Wendy 5-ply cream. Looooooooook! Admittedly, the washing was brief and minimal and in cold water, with a Dylon 'colour-catcher' as a precaution. But there didn't seem to be any dye on the colour-catcher at the end, so Continue Reading
Mostly Outdoors
This summer, the toddler twinnage and I are spending lots of happy time (and a fair ol' portion of grumpy grizzly Mummy-I-Want-To-Go-Home-NOWWWWWW time) outdoors. Much of this hasn't been compatible with knitting/crochet, but the toddler twinnage seem to be under the impression that I should actively parent them. So we've been to say hello to the rescue donkeys (where we met a pig who, rather confusingly, kept saying 'woof')... ...and I knitted my way to a music Continue Reading
Summer flowers
So, you'll maybe remember that in spring, I made a few collages of seasonal flowers in a rainbow pattern, here and here. T'was fun. Well, the season has marched on, as is its wont. And now we have summer flowers, with green ones even harder to find. Fortunately my lovely, horticulturally-talented neighbour has some green flowers to complete my montage. Witness:- Whilst I'm florally rambling like a wisteria on an ancient thatched cottage, let me tell you about the hollyhocks. I mention Continue Reading
Flora, Mandalas.
Saturday evening staying-in indulgences: wine, knitting, and home-grown strawberries/raspberries. As I write this, please excuse the frequent pauses to take sips of wine. Also, the increasingly slurred writing as I proceed through this post... The Stoic Spouse is away for a few days visiting relatives, so I've been pottering about at home with the Toddler Twinnage, observing the garden:- Now I'm not someone who likes pink (sorry), or roses (sorry), but even I concede that the above is Continue Reading
Mandalas and allotments
Evenin' all. :-) [Passes round glasses of wine (or juice, for the non-drinkers) and a range of small but delectable nibbles, including vegetarian options. Encourages you all to continue knitting or crocheting whilst we chat. Sorry the canapés are shop-bought: I didn't have time to cook because I've been out all day. And - uncharacteristically for me - I haven't baked any cake, I'm afraid. Maybe come back tomorrow if that's what you're after. I have baked some wholemeal bread, though.] It's Continue Reading
Knitted mandala in progress
Hello, yarn-loving friends. The biggest joy of blogging is to be amongst like-minded knitting and crocheting souls. You're all lovely. :-) The knitted picture of a mandala is coming along surprisingly fast. Twenty thousand stitches down, about forty thousand to go. Want to see? This photo doesn't do it justice. The blighter is knitted in the round, so you're only seeing just under half its width, here. And I've only done the bottom portion, so it's going to get a LOT bigger. So, what you're Continue Reading
Knitted Mandalas
That new project I've been referring to? It's a giant knitted picture of a mandala, to go on the living room wall. Here's the background:- Mandalas are the thing at the moment. For anyone with spiritual or crafty leanings, they're everywhere, and joyfully so. Witness (with excitement), Attic 24's ever-growing collection of crocheted mandalas ahead of this year's Yarndale, here. Rich and varied colours, complex, circular, swirling patterns: what's not to like? (Is anyone going to Yarndale? I'm Continue Reading